10th day of the 10th month
by ia3
Summary: It's Naruto's birthday!Basically, just a little dedication. Bits of NaruSaku fluff. Rated T for language and certain suggestions.


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

10th day of the 10th month

"Unnhh..."

Tossing and turning in his bed, the blonde haired man could not help but grunt as he tried to sleep, but for some reason, it eluded him at 5:30 in the morning. He wasn't due in the office today, and was planning to sleep in that morning, a privilege he seldom got nowadays. But even as Hokage, he allowed himself to take a day off once in a while for special occasions, and today, although mostly at the insistence of his dear wife, was a special occasion. Running a hand through his long and unruly hair, he figured he may as well not fight it and sat bolt upright in the bed, trying his best not to wake the pink haired angel who shared his bed.

He was turning 30 today, a mature age in terms of shinobi. To live to 30 meant that you were strong enough to survive at least 20 years of danger to your life, starting at the academy at the age of 10. Today was a meaningful day, for him, and for the people who loved him. It had not always been like that, he reminisced. He thought of the birthdays he'd had in the past.

_On his tenth birthday, he'd been all alone. That year, he had been accepted into the academy, finally, under the insistence of the old man. He chuckled as he remembered the endearments he used to use on the man who inspired him to be Hokage, the Sandaime. But things had not changed for him even then. From young, he'd been alone, with no parents, no friends, and no one who cared about him. Sometimes he'd wondered, "Why am I even alive?" _

_He had felt so alone and unwanted then. The people at the village used to throw stones at him whenever he walked by. They shouted at him for every little thing he did, no matter what it was. He always wondered what he'd done wrong that they would hate him so much. He'd even tried asking someone once._

"_Obaa-san? If I did anything wrong, gomenasai!" he'd said to an elderly woman who had chased him out of her shop, shouting that he was not wanted there._

"_Jii jii," he'd asked Sarutobi one time, "why does everyone hate me?" and even the old man had not been able to give him an answer. _

_By the time he was ten, he'd gotten used to it. He knew he could only watch from his swing when parents picked their children up from the academy. He accepted that he couldn't be a part of that, and would never feel what it was like to belong to something, or to be wanted by someone, anyone, just as he accepted that he would always have to spend his birthday alone, and away from the villagers. Even at the academy, his fellow students never knew him, much less his birthday. They seldom spoke to him, as they had been told from the beginning, not to go near or make friends with Naruto. _

_Everyday, on his birthday, he had had to run away from his house, just because the abuse that the villagers hurled at him came worse than just any other day. To them, this day was when they had been cursed to have him around, and they would come to his apartment in groups, hurling rocks through his window, calling him names, bringing with them burning torches. When he had been younger, they would even break into his apartment and beat him up, and he'd never retaliated, thinking there must be something that he had done in the past that would make them act this way towards him. _

_That year, he couldn't stand it anymore. He had run away, as far as he could, with tears in his eyes, away from their sticks, their beatings, and their rocks. He was even ashamed that he could not take it anymore, thinking that, if he let them have his body, at least he could make one person happy. He ran through the village, ignoring all the stares that they gave him, ignoring the sneers, and even the occasional projectile they launched at him(not kunais, obviously, for fear of retribution from the Hokage). He'd gone to the Hokage's office, and when the ANBU at the door refused to let him in, even scolding him for making a nuisance of himself in front of the Hokage's office, the young Naruto had broken down, left with nowhere to go and no one to turn to in his little world, where no one accepted him and no one wanted him. _

_He cut such a pitiful figure, sobbing and shaking on the ground, that the ANBU actually felt bad for what he'd done. He knelt down and lifted his mask, revealing two eyes of different colours, and smiled at the boy. _

_Shocked, little Naruto stopped crying, and for the first time in his life, someone had smiled at him willingly.(At this point, he still suspected Sandaime of taking care of him only because it was his job to) The ANBU then opened the door and let him in to see the Hokage. _

Recollecting his past experiences, the current Naruto sat in his bed, as tears filled his eyes, and one traitorous drop had even made its way down the side of his cheek. He tried his hardest to keep from sobbing. He really did not want to wake his Sakura-chan and have her worry about him, but unconsciously, his whole body shook with the sadness of the memories, and the ghosts of his past.

A mess of pink hair by his side stirred, and he felt soft, slender arms encircle his bare body. Her breasts pressed against his back as she whispered comforting things in his ears. She knew to expect this. It happened every year. He would never be able to sleep in the mornings, reminiscing about his past. She knew what he had had to go through, but she could only guess at how it must have felt, and how he kept himself alive and sane. _"It's ok Naruto..I'm here now. I love you.." _she whispered into his ears, feeling his whole body wracking with sobs.

He buried his face in his hands, not wanting her to see him cry, not wanting her to hurt her with his stupid memories, but she brought him back, like she always did. She told him she loved him, she told him she'd never leave him, she told him everything he wanted to hear, and he knew it was true. He loved her for that, and for so much more. His cherry blossom had always been beside him when he needed her most, after she had gotten over their ex-teammate, Sasuke. He'd never blamed her for that, or for anything. He loved her, and when he knew she returned that love, it had been enough for him to dedicate his whole life to her. _"Sakura-chan.."_ he whispered, as he buried his face into the crook of her neck, smelling the sweet scent of her hair, with his tears still flowing free.

She acknowledged his presence, and she was his reason for living. His Sakura-chan.

She answered him with a kiss. A deep, passionate kiss to his lips that conveyed her love, her commitment, and her regret that she'd never noticed him sooner. When she broke the kiss, he realised she was crying too. He smiled and wiped her tears with his hands.

"_Sakura-chan," _he said. "_I just remembered..I've seen Kakashi-sensei's face before!"_

They both broke out in giggles, laughing while crying at the same time, with happiness and sadness mingling like never before.

Sakura hugged Naruto again. _Her_ Naruto, and no one else's. _"Baka..Happy birthday Naruto!"_ and she kissed him on the nose, which she knew, always turned him on.

A/N: Wah..finally done! Birthday fic for Naruto! Thank you for reading, and please leave a review! )

As a side note, I may have borrowed some ideas from other fanfic authors, but not explicitly. I hope no one minds too much. Credits to all the stories on my Favourites list, they're awesome! Oh, if there are problems with copyrights, just pm me, I'll take it down or something.


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